Export goods pile up in Canterbury as drivers extend strike until Monday

Press, 22 August 1979, Page 1

Export goods pile up in Canterbury as drivers extend strike until Monday

The surprise extension of the Canterbury drivers’ strike to next Monday has left Cantebury manufacturing exporters with about $500,000 worth of goods that may miss the sailing of the Union Hobart to their destination in Australia.

The director of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association (Mr I. D. Howell) said yesterday that food products, engineering goods, glassware, and building materials were among the goods bound for Australia that could not now be carried to the ship, berthed at Lyttelton. Delegates of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union decided yesterday that the strike in protest against the breakdown in national wage talks should continue for a further three days beyond the original 48 hours, which began at midnight on Sunday. The delegates also authorised the officials of the union to call more stoppages next week if necessary. Mr Howell said the delay in delivering exports was serious because exporters had delivery commitments. He said an aspect of the strike hitting manufacturers hardest was Lyttleton watersiders’ refusal to load or unload trucks driven by owner-operators. Another effect of the strike was that the unemployed were having their chances of getting jobs reduced. An example of the direct effect on employment had arisen during the recent railways dispute. “One company having started exporting, lost its first order. Now the overseas buyer says he cannot rely on the New Zealand company to meet its commitments, because of the frequent transport disputes, so the New Zealand company has now begun producing its export goods . in Hong Kong,” said Mr Howell. The weekly Addington live stock market, usually held on Tuesdays, was postponed until today, but later had to be cancelled when the union extended its strike. The president of the Canterbury Meat Retailers’ Association (Mr C. W. Birch) said last evening that he did not think the cancellation of this week’s

Addington market would have much effect on butchers. He said that during the last drivers’ strike, butchers had collected their meat from the abattoirs. “If the drivers go back to work on Sunday, it won’t take long to catch up on the kill,” he said. “At the moment, the situa t i o n doesn’t look serious.’’ The strike is causing a ’’fair disruption” to the freight-forwarding sector, according to the chairman of the Christchurch Driving Industry Co-ordinating Committee (Mr C. L. Paterson).

He said delays with urgent air deliveries were worst hit in this area. The continual disruption was forcing employers to turn to owner-drivers more and more. Exemptions granted by the union seemed fo be uneven, Mr Paterson said. Applications for an exemption to transport urgent vaccines and blood samples had been rejected by the union yesterday. Residents of Heathcote and Paparua Counties may have to wait until next week before any rubbish collections are made now that local-body drivers are

likely to go along with the extension of the strike. “There is not a heck of a lot we can do about it,” said Paparua’s County Engineer (Mr J. D. Annan). Some labourers might have to take leave during the rest of the strike unless other work could be found. Waimairi residents may be in a slightly better position. Yesterday the County Engineer (Mr A. J. W. Lamb) was confident that staff would return to work this morning, but their intentions would not be known for certain until after a meeting to be held early today.